SINGAPORE BASE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19261, 27 August 1924, Page 10

SINGAPORE BASE.

DISCUSSION IN HOUSE OE LORDS. THE GOVERNMENT’S EXTRAORDINARY ATTITUDE. LORD BALFOUR’S VIEWS. (From Our Own- Correspondent.) LONDON, July 19. In (ho House of Lords this week the Marquis of Linlithgow asked the Government whether it was intended to dispose of any of the plant or materials collected for the construction of naval works at Singapore; whether any orders for auch_ plant had been cancelled, and when, in view of tlio statement of the Prime Minister on March 18, his Majesty's Government intended to reconsider the question of developing the naval base at Singapore. Ho asked the question because of an advertisement in the Straits Times, which announced that certain material collected for the purpose of constructing naval works was for sale. Uneasiness had been aroused mainly because it had been understood that the decision of the Government not to go. forward with (he naval works was not final. The Prime Minister had said that in his mind there was no finality about the decision, and ho made it. clear that, there were circumstances in his mind which, if they came about, might make it essential for this country to proceed with the completion of tho base. It appeared that the Government was sacrificing the very cornerstone of our naval policy in the I 1 ar East in order to negotiate some agreement with some foreign Power. They had never been told what agreement it was sought to make. Viscount, Chelmsford (First Lord of the Admiralty) said there was no change of poliev on the part of the Government. No change was indicated by the advertisement referred to. When the Government made its decision the question arose as to what was lo bo dono with tho matr j *iul that had been collected. They felt that if it was left whore it was it would seriously deteriorate. The plant was worth £22,W0, or, with tho cost of freight, £2i,000. The cost of returning it to England would have been considerable, and the Admiralty had a similar stock of similar material on hand at Homo in excess of requirements. Iho value of the materials was £24,000. No orders had been cancelled. If the policy which tho Prime Minister had adumbrated tailed, the Government would have to go back to the consideration of the Singapore base. They had been exploring the situation, and that dav a meeting was held to consider how best the Prime Minister s policy could bo carried into effect. It was impossible to state the exact dale when the Government intended to reconsider the question. It was necessary to approach more Powers than one in regard to tho Prime Minister’s policy. Viscount Long said that this meant that the question would not bo reconsidered, and that the Government had definitely decided not to develop the base. This was a very serious blow to the dominions. Both Australia and New Zealand would deeply resent it, and consider that the Government had failed in that duty to the Empire which lay in taking care tnat precautions should bo taken in case of trouble m the Far East. AN EXTRAORDINARY ATTITUDE. The Earl of Balfour asked fhe moaning of the phrase which had frequently been used by the First lyord of the Admiralty about “the necessity of consulting certain foreign Powers.’’ lie was quite unable to put the smallest significant meaning to the phrase. Viscount Chelmsford was understood to reply that the United States, Japan, France, and Italy were at the conference which resulted in the \\ ashington Pact. If there were any addition to tho pact those nations would have to meet in conference again. The Earl of Balfour said that this was an extraordinary attitude to take up. The construction of a naval base had nothing to do with the Washington Pact. It had been deliberately and knowingly kept outside the sphere of the Pacific Ocean in which the nations referred to were concerned. Nothing we proposed to do at Singapore was ever intended to menace the interest of any other country. On the contrary, other countries know that the British Fleet was one of the greatest securities for tho peace of tho world. But it could only bo •such a security by giving it the means to operate effectively. It could not operate effectively in the Pacific unless they made Singapore an efficient naval base. Ho was sorry the Government bad entered on tins pokey, and he could not help thinking that perhaps it had done so without knowing all the facts. He did not wish to make the path of the Government more difficult if there was tho least hope of its doing anything to redress the unfortunate step it had taken, and to annul the unhappy impression which unquestionably had been produced in Australia and New Zealand. LORD CHANCELLOR’S DECLARATION, Tho Lord Chancellor said ho made a present to the Earl of Balfour of the fact that Singapore was wholly outside the boundary line agreed upon at the Washington Conference and that Australia and Now Zealand were displeased with the decision of his Majesty’s Government. But that was not the point. The question was what would be the effect on the general foreign policy of his Majesty’s Government if they established a new l>aso at Singapore, whief* would be, one quite as much, if not more, for offence as for defence. It. was essential that if the base was constructed that it should work out us a great instrument of offensive possibility —something that would dominate the whole Pacific. However desirable that might be, they could not reconcile it with the broad principles of foreign policy which his Majesty’s Government endeavoured to pursue. They were trying to make tho world rather better than it was at present, and to make the conditions of tho world such that Singapore would bo less important than it appeared to be in the minds of some people. Tile Government was endeavouring to keep the navy efficient, but Singapore went far beyond that ,and added a new weapon which it was not ™ood that the navy should have. That policy might fail, but it was a policy on which his Majesty’s Government intended to stand or fall. Viscount Peel said it was quite clear that whatever might be tho result of the conversations the Lord Chancellor was opposed on principle to the Singapore base. It was not a question ol having an offensive base; it was a question of making the navy mobile. GESTURE TO EXTREME LABOUR. Earl Stinhone said all the exports of (he Government were agreed that Singapore was necessary for the defence of our dominions and trade. He Imped (ho Government would not let this matter drift, but would say thilt if they could not get a definite and early agreement with other Powers it w-ould push on with this very necessary provision for the defence of the Empire. The Marquis of Linlithgow said the Lord Chancellor appeared to regard this matter in rather a different light from that of the Prime Minister's speech in the House of Commons on March 18. When Lord Haldane said that the Singapore would be a new weapon to dominate the Pacific he said something which was hardly in accordance with facts. Hongkong was no longer capable of docking our largest ships, and all they asked was that Singapore should be able to do the same as Hongkong could at the time of which Lord Haldane spoke. The country had not boon treated fairly with regard to Singapore, which, in his opinion, was far more a gesture fo the extreme Labour i’arty than to any foreign Power. The subject (hen dropped. OIL FUEL. The subject of Singapore is referred to in a leading article in 'the Morning Post. Tho writer discusses the increasing use of oil fuel. “It should bo remembered,’’ ho goes on fo say, “that one result of using imported fuel is to add another danger to any interruption of sea traffic. It is (ho business cf the navy to secure the safety of the trade routes; yet the navy, for (ho first lime in history, is itself dependent either upon the arrival of supplies from overseas or upon stores of fuel accumulated. on stations abroad. It is in these circumstances the Government have restricted the supply of oil upon stations abroad, and have abandoned the naval base at Singapore.” “The relation of the carrying trade to the general prosperity of (ho country is seldom appreciated. A part of the price of tlie food and raw material consumed in Great Britain is paid for by tho services rendered by British shipping to the world in general. The work of tho mercantile marine alone enables the merchant to make the profits on exchange values—on the great volume of goods imported and reexported—which are a substantial part of the national income. It is the task of the wise statesman to look first, instead of last, or not at all, to tho welfare of tho sea traders of this country. What is

needed above all is (he improvement of docks and harbours, and in the transport service between the ship’s side and tho destination of the goods.” THE CASE FOR SINGAPORE. Mr Richard Jebb concludes a letter in The Outlook, written in support of (ho Singapore base, and as a reply to a former correspondent (Mr Roy Bishofd, who was against, the project, thus;— “And when be, (Mr Bishop) suggests difficulty for our ships in perhaps having to ’steam at full speed through (his maze of hidden reefs and strange islands,’ as ho describes those seas, it may be recalled that one of the points urged by the late Lord Beresford in criticism of tho Fisher concentration policy and in favour of tho old system of having squadrons permanently stationed in tho distant seas, was that naval officers ought to have tho opportunity of becoming familiar in peace time with the waters in which they might have to operate in war—a positive argument for Singapore.”